Collage by Cathryn Virginia | Photographs Courtesy of Afroman
Afroman isn’t the primary rapper to show a harmful expertise with regulation enforcement into music, however he’s positively the primary to shout out his mother’s lemon pound cake within the course of. After the Adams County Sheriff’s Workplace performed a raid on his Ohio property in 2022 with a warrant for drug trafficking and kidnapping, Afroman, actual title Joseph Foreman, instructed VICE he misplaced out on gigs and felt indignant and powerless. He channeled that power right into a pair of songs, “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Assist Me Restore My Door,” with music movies that characteristic precise footage of deputies smashing their manner onto his property, rifling via his belongings, and trying out the baked items sitting on his counter earlier than they reduce energy to his private safety cameras altogether. Clips from Afroman’s music movies have since gone viral on TikTok. He was by no means charged with against the law, and maintains that the sheriff’s division stole $400 of his cash that they seized throughout the raid.
When requested for remark, Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rogers mentioned the results of a neighboring sheriff’s workplace investigation into Afroman’s declare is imminent. He additionally that the eye the rapper’s songs have generated has became a wave of threats towards his deputies. “I can deal with it, however I don’t respect a number of the messages coming in about Adams County deputies getting ambushed, ‘I hope they die gradual,’” Rogers mentioned. “It’s sort of tolling on a number of the officers. I doubt that your loved ones would need that mentioned about you.”
To Afroman, although, publicity is strictly what the scenario requires. “Lots of people do not get harassed by the police, so they do not know what they’re doing to individuals and civilians,” the 48-year-old rapper mentioned. “There’s so many individuals from Adams County sending me their very own private tales. I simply haven’t got time to sit down down and skim them and all the pieces. However from what I perceive, these sheriff’s officers on this county have been doing individuals soiled for a really very long time and getting away with it. However no one has the publicity or the eyeball that I can placed on ‘em like me.” We spoke Afroman concerning the aftermath of the raid, police reform, and turning ache into artwork.
VICE: Inform me concerning the precise raid that began all of this.
Afroman: The raid itself occurred… [singing] August 21 was the date/ The Adams County Sheriff destroyed my gate/ Ran up my driveway with weapons and hate/ To take my funds, they simply could not wait.
I suppose they heard I used to be trafficking medicine. I do not know the place the kidnapping costs got here from. And what they needed to do was kill me after which make up no matter they needed to say. After they kicked in the home door, I wasn’t house. They did not discover something, and their plan backfired. I hate to maintain singing that previous racism track, however gee whiz, man, I actually do not know. You did not have to raid my home with weapons for a vape pen anyone else left at my home. I haven’t got one million kilos of weed in my home. I haven’t got sufficient weed in my home to get them to run up my driveway and react like that.
Proper, particularly as a result of it’s weed…
Marijuana is medically authorized within the state of Ohio. It’s like jaywalking or one thing. They decriminalized it in Cincinnati. I actually do not know what all that was about. They dropped the fees. Nothing is making sense. Then, they stole $400 out of the so-called drug seizure cash that they present in my home, which was in my coat pocket from a live performance I did with Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa years in the past! I obtained drunk and excessive and I forgot the good cost in my pocket.
I noticed that you simply talked about that with TMZ. No updates on that from the sheriff’s workplace?
So, that precinct couldn’t examine itself, so they’d a neighboring precinct do it. Now the neighboring precinct is saying it is only a miscount, but it surely’s humorous how anyone stole or they “miscounted” precisely $400. And it isn’t the $400—it is the general precept of all the pieces. I do not suppose the sheriff’s ought to examine themselves. They’re all buddies. That is like… I am from LA. I belong to a set, gang, no matter. We obtained completely different sides. We obtained the north facet, the south facet, west facet. So far as I am involved, a neighboring sheriff’s division investigating them is just like the West Aspect Crips investigating the North Aspect Crips. I need to push my lawyer for a better company to come back in that is not buddy-buddy with these guys and actually lay down the regulation.
Proper. Regulation enforcement businesses make a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} yearly off of asset forfeiture, which is simply taking shit out of individuals’s homes.
Yeah. The police is the brand new invincible legal. A legal needs to get on the police power now, as a result of it is his phrase towards yours. He has immunity and you are a pathetic peasant civilian. Once you take anyone’s cash, it is known as theft, stealing, housebreaking. However when he steals your cash, it is known as asset forfeiture. When a cockroach is in your home, it is a cockroach. However when a cockroach goes to the police division, it’s a water bug. You see what I am saying?
Yeah. Is that this the primary time someplace you reside has been raided like this, or has this occurred to you earlier than?
I am 50 years previous, virtually. I’ve by no means had the police kick in my door. I’ve had them stroll up on me and say, “OK, I odor weed, I’m gonna have to write down you up for this,” and blah, blah, blah. I’ve had that each one day. However I’ve by no means had the police come working in with AR-15s or no matter assault rifles, traumatizing my youngsters, kicking in doorways, and vandalizing my property.
Have been you stunned to see that the deputies looking your home disconnected your private safety cameras?
Yeah. The law enforcement officials characterize the regulation. In response to America, law enforcement officials are the great guys. I figured an excellent man would need to depart the digicam going so he can confirm the truth that he is an effective man. I do know burglars and crooks and criminals and murderers, they spray paint the cameras. They need to take them down as a result of they do not need you to see who they’re and what they’re doing. So I am questioning, why is the great man disconnecting the digicam, taking away the verification that he’s good? It appears suspicious to me—like he isn’t good.
I am not saying that each one police are unhealthy. However you’ve obtained two sorts of individuals on this planet: good individuals and unhealthy individuals. And unhealthy persons are going to affix the police division. Dangerous individuals will at all times be right here. Crime will at all times be right here. Racism will at all times be right here. Nonetheless, there must be a treatment. There must be a prescription for when these items pop up. Like a chilly will at all times be right here, however when a chilly comes, there’s treatments. There’s lemons, there’s penicillin and amoxicillin and no matter they use for colds. There must be a prescription for unhealthy cops.
When did the thought come to you, that you simply had been like, ‘Oh, I need to make a track about this?’
I am a civilian. Then, to make issues worse, I am a Black civilian in America. The police division was not designed to serve and defend me. I felt powerless but indignant. These guys can destroy my property and I actually could not do nothing about it. The one factor I may do was take to my pen and sing concerning the injustice. And to my shock, it is going over nicely! Persons are taking part in the tracks they usually’re considering to themselves, wow, that is tousled. I believe persons are slowly realizing that it may possibly occur to me, it may possibly occur to Donald Trump, it may possibly occur to anyone! Anyone could be the sufferer of a police officer who’s a foul man. I am not one among these “F the police” chanters, not even “defund the police.” However good cops want to begin snitching on unhealthy cops and one thing must be executed about unhealthy cops.
Why did you decide the precise clips you picked for the “Will You Assist Me Restore My Door” video?
The clips I picked verified what I used to be saying. I did not need individuals to suppose I am yelling wolf. Once I misinform a cop, that is a cost. It is known as false data to a police officer. However this man can misinform me and it isn’t a cost. It is nothing. It is “Oh, whoop-dee-doo, large deal and your doorways on the bottom, and your gate’s effed up, and I am leaving. I lied on the warrant. I tore your home up. And fuck you, nigger. God bless America.” That is why I picked these clips. Have a look at these guys going via my pockets for kidnapping victims, proper? The place are the kidnapping victims in my go well with pockets? Have a look at these guys going via my CDs. They in all probability stole a few of my masters after which they go have them on eBay and stuff. Is that why they needed to show the cameras off, to allow them to take some memorabilia or no matter?
You mentioned the reception for the track and video has been good to date, however are you going through different fallout from the raid itself?
, there is a facet of me that is not mad on the cops for considering I am trafficking medicine. However the kidnapping… these dudes do not know what they’re saying. They’re writing something on a chunk of paper and kicking down my door! These cops are similar to that woman in New York, [Amy Cooper]. “Oh, a Black man is robbing me, he is killing me!” That is a false accusation. You make an excuse to kill me. I did not kidnap no one—I obtained excessive. I am too lazy to wrestle with anyone and throw him in a cargo van. That is an epic lie.
I misplaced gigs due to the kidnapping cost written on the warrant. Individuals began me completely different. You heard about that Idaho killing?
Yeah.
They arrested some man, proper. However here is the factor: As quickly as I seen that man, I attempted and convicted that man in my thoughts. I am considering to myself, “They obtained your ass!” And I do not know WTF concerning the case.
As soon as the Adams County Sheriff mentioned they raided my home for kidnapping, lots of golf equipment did what I did. They convicted me. You do not know jack shit, and also you’re convicting me in your thoughts due to them mendacity on that warrant. They defamed my character which costed me cash. They had been fallacious! I am not a kidnapper.
What would you wish to see occur for you and for different individuals whose properties are broken throughout police raids?
When police businesses have an effect on your funds by accusing you, they need to pay you. They should not have the ability to fuck up your life and simply stroll away cracking jokes and making sarcastic feedback. I requested the top cop that raided my home if he was going to assist me pay for my door. He cracked a bit smile and mentioned, “We’re not required to repair your door. That’s not what we do.” He was an actual smartass. So I need to cease that. You characterize the regulation, it is advisable to take part within the regulation too. It isn’t simply the regulation for everyone else and you may be the most effective legal on this planet. I need to cease asset forfeiture too. If I did not promote the medicine to you and it isn’t on movie, do not be assuming my cash is drug cash. Cops: Don’t take no one’s cash no extra. Cops can go get a job!
They will facet hustle with all people else.
[Laughs] And I really need individuals to take a look at the Lemon Pound Cake album. I’m gonna make as a lot cash off the police division as I can. As a result of all these things I’m doing—I’ll not get a dime from the police division itself. They could say, “So what, boo hoo, you’re not getting paid for slavery, F you.” They could do it like that. The one {dollars} I would make is the {dollars} I create for exposing them on social media. So, sustain with me—any time they hear Lemon Pound Cake, it’s me following up on police injustice and reform.
